The Director of Legal and Corporate Affairs for the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Joseph Yaw-Bernie Bennie, has assured Ghanaians that the regulatory body is committed to safeguarding the health and safety of all citizens, particularly children and students. His remarks come in response to allegations of expired and repackaged rice being distributed to Senior High Schools across the country. He emphasized that the FDA prioritizes public health above all else and will not compromise on these principles for any reason.
The controversy was ignited by North Tongu Member of Parliament (MP) Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who claimed that 22,000 bags of expired and repackaged rice had been distributed through the Free Senior High School Secretariat earlier this year. According to Mr. Ablakwa, his investigation revealed that the distribution was deliberate, and he called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of Lamens Investments Africa, the company allegedly behind the act. The legislator, who also chairs Parliament’s Assurances Committee, said his findings stemmed from a tip-off, sparking widespread public concern.
In an interview on Joy FM’s Midday News, Mr. Yaw-Bernie Bennie disclosed that the FDA intervened in a case involving unlicensed rice repackaging after receiving a police complaint. He noted that the FDA collaborated with law enforcement to halt the unauthorized activities of Lamens Investments Africa. The company was found guilty of three regulatory violations: operating an unlicensed repackaging facility, conducting repackaging without FDA approval, and failing to provide supervision during the process.
Additionally, the FDA identified that the rice in question had an expired “best before” date and initially recommended the product for disposal. However, the producer applied for an internationally accepted quality reassessment. Subsequently, laboratory tests conducted by the FDA, the Centre for Scientific Research (CSIR), and a research facility in India concluded that the rice met required quality standards. Based on these findings, the “best before” date was extended to April 2024 instead of December 2023, as originally requested by the company.
“So FDA says that based on this, the date on the rice as was seen on that day shows that the best before date had expired so what do you do? The first action to take was that we recommended that the product should be simply disposed of – that was the first recommendation made,” Mr. Yaw-Bernie explained. He added that the decision to extend the expiration date was made only after confirmatory tests provided assurance of the product’s safety and quality.
The FDA’s clarification has drawn mixed reactions from the public, with some expressing concerns over the transparency of the process. Others have called for stricter regulatory measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. Meanwhile, Mr. Ablakwa continues to push for accountability, maintaining that the directors of Lamens Investments Africa should face legal consequences for their actions.
